Millions acres likely in wrong hands: Ex-MP
Published on: Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: Former Ranau MP Datuk Henrynus Amin has described as "significant, appropriate and timely" a pledge by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman to act against syndicates responsible for the illegal transfer of native land titles to non-natives.He said allegations of syndicates working in cahoots with corrupt officials to do the illegal transfer using fake native certificates was not new.The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) recently arrested several non-natives who used falsified Sabah Native Certificates to acquire native land titles.
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"Therefore I urge the relevant state agencies such as Sabah Land and Survey Department, Land Office in all the District Offices in Sabah and even the Native Court and Sabah Native Affairs Department to investigate and expose or act against their officials for dereliction of duty or serious breach of duty or even criminal negligence," he said.Henrynus who was formerly Parti Bersatu Sabah Sec-Gen said the failure of government agencies or departments to detect loopholes that allow fraudulent transfer of the native land to non-natives is scandalous, unbelievable, defies logic and boggles the mind.He said hundreds of thousands of acres of native land, if not millions of acres, may have fallen into the wrong hands such as big plantation companies or non-native buyers through fraudulent means or without complying with the specific provisions of the Sabah Land Ordinance.Based on his own family experience, he believes thousands of natives who may have applied for native land in Sandakan have no knowledge of their land being sold to big plantation companies by unscrupulous land brokers.
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"In fact they were not even told their land applications have been approved as land brokers simply ask all applicants to sign away their rights to them through Power of Attorney probably obtained through deception or doubtful means," he said.Henrynus who is actively involved in promoting and organizing the native Momogun (KDM) community through 'Operasi Tataba program' lamented the Momogun community was losing more lands to non-natives through fraudulent means.
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He said there could be hundreds of thousands of acres native lands now illegally occupied by non-natives due to the syndicates, not to mention loopholes in the interpretation of natives.It was reported that MACC had roped 34 people to facilitate investigations on using fake native certificates to buy more 1,000-acre of NT titles.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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